Heraldry
It
is the 14th
Century.
You are cold,
hungry, and you
can’t read!
We take for
granted that we of
the 21st
Century enjoy almost
universal literacy.
In the Middle
Ages, only nobility,
scholars, and priests
could read.
Heraldry was
the newpaper and T.V.
of the time.
For example,
if you go to a church
and look at the
stained glass
windows, you get an
idea of some biblical
stories and icons.
The same holds
true with heraldry.
The Herald was
the “Voice of the
local Ruler”. He
proclaimed awards,
announcements, the
laws, and anything
else the local Ruler
wanted his people to
know.
The Herald was
also responsible for
maintaining and
creating unique and
suitable Arms/Devices
for the local
populace deserving of
reward/award.
Imagine
that you have been
conscripted into an
army to fight for the
king.
You are
fighting people that
generally look just
the same as you, i.e.
peasantry.
Your local
leader tells you,
“Follow the orders
of the man on the
horse who has the red
and blue flag with a
gold lion on it.”
You don’t
know that you are
following, Baron
Oldergreen, Holder
the Queen’s Order
of Grace and
Protector of the
Realm.
You just
looked for the device
that was the right
colors and followed
the orders that you
were given from him.
Think of a
device as a picture
representation of who
and what that person
is.
The
current Middle Ages,
also known as the
S.C.A. uses heraldry
in a similar way.
You might not
know someone’s
name, but if you’re
told to look for a
particular
device/arms, it is
easy to find.
Once you have
been awarded the
title, of Lord or
Lady, by the King,
you are entitled to
create arms that are
uniquely yours. Many
people take great
thought to ensure
that their arms
reflect something
important in their
life.
The Heralds
also help you chose a
“name” and can
assist you in helping
take that first big
step in the S.C.A.
Who do I want
to be, when and where
am I from?
This is an
important step, as
the S.C.A. covers
“Any land known to
the Court of Europe
from roughly 600 ad
to 1600 ad” That
is a very broad scope
of lands and times to
choose from and can
be overwhelming to
the new player.
If you have
any questions, please
don’t hesitate to
contact me.
I will be
happy to get you on
the right path
towards a truly
wonderful hobby that
might just be with
you for the rest of
your life.
E-mail to the Web
Officer